Dear friends,

Our love and prayers go to Ruth Albiges, whose mum passed away on Tuesday.

Our message this morning comes from Mary….

God bless,

Tanya

Communication 

 From birth we open our mouths and for the majority sound is emitted. 

What is meant by it? How is it to be interpreted? Those new to this as is the new born and first-time parent, are desperate to make accurate interpretations of the sounds. Distress, but for what reason - discomfort, pain, hunger, warmth, cold? What is the problem, for they always know when it is a problem for the little one, when not everything suits them? The gentle contented snuffles, gurgles are always received with appreciation whatever the reason. All is well. The parents have succeeded and this is their reward. 

So is the learning process of communication even before words are used. The tone, volume, gentleness, physical accompaniments all offer information to be gleaned by the learners. 

Slowly by guesswork, informed attempts based on experience and evaluation of results, learning takes place. Interpretation becomes more accurate on all fronts. 

During that process mistakes are made and the information gleaned of those effects, are also stored. 

Overtime all the information acquired is brought into service. How to get what is wanted, if not needed, is also learnt. The consequences of compliance and non-compliance are learnt by all parties. Seeking to quiet the infant rather necessarily fulfil needs. Seeking to get more of what is pleasurable because the permanently open tap supplying all requirements has ceased to be open after birth. Now there are conditions to be met. Sensations to be responded to by communicating our perceived interpretations of those senses. 

The new life growing in the womb had everything provided except eventually the space required to continue to live and the baby had to begin making its own way; had to begin to communicate; begin to take responsibility for survival.

As children, young and older adults we have to take the responsibility we can for our survival, however difficult that might be. It is only for those unable to do that any longer that submission and total dependence on others if offered is any rescue possible. “I am in your hands”.  How often have we said, thought that? Have we meant it absolutely or have there been parameters to our submission? Has it only been within our perceptions of their expertise? Only as far as we trust them. 

And ou must surely have guessed, have interpreted my words and made deductions, assumptions about the direction I’m heading in. 

Maybe 

Luke 18:15-17 or 

Matthew 19:13-15,

Mark 10:13-16.

Did you come to a psalm like 139?

Or did you arrive somewhere else? Go have a look in your bible and see what God says to you, if it was a biblical reminder.

If it were not muse on your thinking, see where they take you.

Now are you back here. I’ll continue with my thoughts.

For in the silence God reaches out to us. It is God who knows our needs and our wants, the cravings we imagine will meet our needs. 

In his book the “inner loneliness” Dom Sebastian Moore talks of our need as being only fulfilled by God. He describes our common deepest inner loneliness - need, as being the one that is fulfilled by someone being there for us, knowing every bit of us, right to our inner deepest hidden thoughts and memories, even those of which we are unaware: who then still offers their all to us, with no personal agenda, ulterior motive (good or bad), no previous influencing experience to bear down on us except total perfect unconditional love. There are some people who for us come pretty close to that but never quite completely, for they too have their needs, their life, their experiences.

It is only God who can tick all the boxes. Only God who has holy unconditional love for all creation.

And so, can you ask ‘Give me today my daily bread’?

Can you place your full and total dependence on the one who loves in that way? Are we capable of putting ourselves into the hands of God without reservation? Total submission.

Don’t worry if you can’t. Offer what you can today - now, and God will accept it graciously, willingly as long as it is genuine.

Tomorrow is another day with all the experience of today behind it. Who knows if we will be able to truly offer more or less, or if we will be totally in Gods loving arms by then.

God of Grace accept all we sincerely offer to you this day and every day. Accept the wonder we offer, the praise we bring, the concerns we raise, and the requests we make. Give us our daily bread. And for this refreshment and succour we need we give you our thanks.  Amen.